Tilting game board



Dec. 4, 1956 J J. SCHIGAS TILTING GAME BOARD Filed March 6. 953

FIG. 5

FIG.? FIG.8

INVENTOR.

JOSEPH J. SCHiGAS MM ATTORNEY United States Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 6, 1953, Serial No. 340,843

4Claims. c1.273--110 This invention relates to toys, and more'particularly to games of skill involving the control of a rolling ball. The primary object of the present invention is to generally improve toys or games of the specified character. i

A more particular object is to provide a rockable ball control game in which the rolling of the ball iscontrolled by gradually rocking the game to one side or the other. More particular objects are to simplify the pro vision of the desired rocking action; to provide a support rest to hold the game in desired position on a table or like surface; to provide for folding of the support rest for shipment or storage of the toy; and to provide :a constructional relationship between the parts of the game which will make the game inexpensive to manufacture, yet attractive in appearance and sturdy in structure.

To accomplish the foregoing general objects, and other more specific objects which will hereinafter appean-my invention resides in the game elements, and their relation one to another, as are hereinafter more particularly described in the following specification. The specification is accompanied by a drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a partially sectioned front elevation of a game apparatus embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken through the game apparatus approximately in the plane of the line 22 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section through a stud at a shelf, drawn to enlarged scale and taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

line 7-7 of Fig. 6 prior to riveting the'said stud to i hold the back wall;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but after riveting the stud; s v

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section through the peripheral wall, taken approximately in theuplane of the line 99 of Fig.6; and v j Fig. 10 is a front elevation of the game apparatus in simplified outline, to help {explain the operation of the game.

Referring. to the drawing, and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 10, the game comprises a series of collateral, shelf-like guide walls 12, ,14, 16, 18, etc., the alternate shelves 12, 16, etc. being offset toward one side, while the intermediate shelves 14, 18, etc. are offset toward the other side. The lower end of the game is preferably made convexly arcuate, as is indicated at 20. It will be evident that the game can be rocked to one side or the other while in a substantially upright positon, as indicated by the change from the center atent U rivets and spacers. For'this purpose the material of the position shown at 22 in Fig. 10 to either the righthand position 22' or the lefthand position 22". It will further be evident that a ball resting on the top shelf 12 can be rolled toward the left with a view to dropping it on to the left end of the next shelf 14, and then by rocking the game slightly to the right the ball on shelf 14 may be rolled on to the righthand end of shelf 16, and so on. Of course, it is difiicult to control the speed of the ball to prevent it from moving beyond the end of shelf 16 and thus all the way down to the bottom of the game, and the object of the game is to control the movement of the ball so closely as to keep it rolling down the suc cessive shelves for as many shelves as possible.

While not essential it is convenient to provide 'the game with a ball starting rest 24 near the top of the game and a finish pocket 26 near the bottom of the game. The starting rest 24 is disposed near the starting end of the top shelf 12, while the pocket 26 is disposed near the discharge end of the bottom shelf 28. It is also convenient to provide the toy with a back rest generally designated 30. This fixes the slightly rearwardly slop ing angle of the game, as shown in Fig. 2, without interfering with the rocking of the game from one side to the other. l l

The construction of the game results in a smooth, lustrous finish and a rich appearance, all obtainable at comparatively low cost. Specifically, the front of the game is closed by a transparent front wall 32. This is not glass but is preferably a suitable transparent molding coinpound such as polystyrene in clear transparent form. The front wall 32 is molded integrally with the edge walls 20, 34, 36 and 38. The front wall is also molded integrally with the shelves 12, 14, 16, etc., and with the starting rest 24 and the finishing pocket 26. Indeed, the game as molded is substantially complete except for the back wall 40 and the support 30. V v

The back wall 40 is stamped out of any suitable sheet material. It is preferably formed of sheet metal, and the metal may be suitably colored and lithographed on the front and back, both for ornamentation and also for score values and instructions for playing the game. Only the score values of 10, 20, 30, etc. are shown in Fig. l of the drawing. The pocket 26 is given a higher value, say 150. v The back wall is preferably' secured to the molded body by molding the latter with a suitable number of appropriately spaced studs which pass through mating parts of the back wall 40 and which are then spread or riveted to hold the back wall in position. The shelves preferably project rearwardly from the front wall to the back wall, thereby acting as rigid spacers to support the back wall. In the present case there are studs indicated at 42 on top shelf 12, at 44 on' bottom shelf 28, and at, 46 on two of the intermediate shelves.

preferably formed by thickening the material of the shelf at the bottom of the shelf where there is no interference with rolling of the ball.. The resulting construction is illustrated in Fig.3, in which it will be seen that a' stud 44' passes through thesheet' metal back 40, following which the free end of the stud is spread or riveted as shown at 48. The. rivet action brings the b ack 40 tightly against the rear edges of the shelves, although inFigs; 2 and 3 aslight-space is showhinorder to helpclari fy the different parts and materials used. It will also be noted that the edge Wall 34 projects rearwardly slightly beyondthe back 40, asindicated at 50, thereby enclosing and protectively housing the relatively sharp edge of the sheet metal. This guards against the possibility of cutting or scratching skin or furniture, and also improves the appearance of the toy by concealing the sheet metal edge.

The back is additionally held in position by four corner These studs are molded body is thickened at the corners, as indicated at 52 in Fig. 1. This thickening terminates short of the rear edge of the edge walls,-thus forming a stop or spacing means to help positionthe back wall at a desired distance frorn'the front wall. Thus in Figs. 6 and 9 it will be seen how the back wall 40'is received within the edge wall 33 and bears against a ledge 54. Moreover, a small part of the thickened material projects further rearwardly to form a short stud indicated at 56 in Figs. 6 and 7. The back wall 40 is apertured to receive the various studs 42, 44, and 46 previously referred to, and is apertured or notched at the corners to clear the corner studs 56. After the bottom hasbeen placed in position the corner studs 56 may be deformed and pressed downward by the application of heat, thus riveting the material over the corner'portion of the bottom wall, as is shown at 58 in Fig. 8.

The support or back rest 30 may be made in a number of ways, but in the preferred form here shown it is bent out of heavy diameter stiff wire. The upper end 60 is received in a top bearing 62,;and the lower end 64 is'received in a bottom bearing 66. The wire is bent to form a generally horizontal part 68 and a generally upright part 70. It will be evident that such a wire support may be turned flat against the back of the game when not in use, and may be turned rearwardly when in use. The support is preferably held in its rearward or operative position by a suitable detent, here provided on either or both of the bearings 62 and 66.

Referring to Figs. 4 and it will be seen that the bottom bearing 66 has not only an upright bearing hole to receive'the lower end 64 of the support, but also a detent notch or recess 72 which is formed on the inner or upper face of the bearing 66, and which extends transverse to the axis of the bearing hole. When the support is turned However, if the support or back rest 7 is forcibly turned sideward the horizontalpart 68 springs upward slightly, enough to accommodate the desired movement, as is illustrated by the change from Fig. 5 to Fig. 4 of the drawing. For this purpose it will be understood that the dimension of the support as manufactured, or, in other'words, the angular relation between the arms 68 and 70, is such that the ends 60 and 64 must be initially sprung into the bearings 62 and 66, and they at all times bear outwardly against the bearings. The bearings 62 and 66 are also preferably forrne integrally with the molded body and front wallof the game. For this purpose there are enlargements as indicated at 74 on the top wall 36, and at 76 on the bottom wall 20, as shown in Fig. 1. These are preferably hollow, and the hollow space opens through the front wall of the game, as shown at 78 and 80 in Fig. 2. The enlargements 74 and 76 are reduced in dimension; and preferably'made rectangular in shape at the point where they pass through the back wall 40. Thus the enlargements 74 and 76 may themselves act as spacers to bear against the back wall and to properly space it from the front wall. The back wall has a rectangular notch at the top and bottom to receive the bearings 62 and 66. The

. bottom notch'is clearly shown at 82 in Figs. 4 and 5, and thereis a similar notch at the top bearing. On reflection it will be seen that the entire molded body may be made in a .single piece betweenthe halves of a simple two-part mold, the only exception being the bearing holes in the bearings .62 and for the upper and lower ends of the wire support. These may be formed later, although it is preferable to provide the mold with a pair'of simple core pins to form the hearing holes as a part of the main molding operation.

The. game body is entirely enclosed, thus insuring against loss of theball. The ball .is preferably a wei hty steel ball which rolls freely and which has considerable inertia so that it is difficult to control. The metal back is preferably lithographed on the front, and the lithography preferably includes score values which may be progressively increasing in numerical values for the shelves, starting at the top': Thus in the present case if the player reaches only the second shelf 14 the score value may be ten. If he reaches the third shelf 16 before losing the ball the score value will be twenty. On reaching the bottom shelf the score value would be one hundred. The lithography may further include an arrow showing the proper progress'of the ball in sinuous fashion from shelf to shelf. j

Instructions for playing-the game may be printed on the back. These instructions may explain a, normal scoring of the game and also special, more difficult scoring, as by keeping track of and minimizing the number of rockings of the game to one side or the'other. If desired the instructions may also mention the possibility of easing the skill required by holding the game in a nearly horizontal instead of nearly upright position while resting it on the support 30 shown in Fig. 2.

It is believed that the construction and operation of my improved ball control game, as well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It will also be apparent that while I have shown and described the game in a preferred form, changes may be made in the structure shown without departing from the scope ofthe invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A rockable ball-control game device comprising a single generally upright body of molded transparent plastic comprising a front wall and edge walls, a series oficollateral shelf-like guide walls terminating at both ends short of the edge walls for passage of a ball, the ends of some of said walls being offset relative to the ends of others to permit rolling of a ball from an upper shelf to a lower shelf, said shelves being formed integrally with the front and edge walls and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a back wall stamped out or" sheet material appropriately printed with score values, studs formed integrally with some of said shelves and at spaced points at the edge walls, said studs passing through mating parts of the back wall and being spread or riveted to secure the back wall in position, said shelves projecting rearwardly as far as the back wall to act as spacers to support the back wall, and a support projecting rearwardly from the back wall of the v game device for bearing against said table and supporting the game device in a nearly upright but rearwardly sloping position, the contact between said support and table being so limited as not to interfere with rocking of the game device, said support being pivotally mounted so that it may be folded flat against the back wall of the game device when not in use, said support comprising a piece of heavy rigid wire the upper end of which is pivotally received in a bearing formed at the top of the game device, the lower end of which is pivotally received inan aligned bearing formed at the bottom of the game device, and the intermediate part of which is bent to form agenerally horizontal and a generally upright side,

and detent means formed at a bearingfor holding the wire support in rearward or operative position when turned out to that position.

ends of some ,of said walls being offset relative to the.

ends of others toperrnit rolling of a .ball from an upper shelf to ailower shelf, said shelves being formed integral 1y with the front and edge walls and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a back wall stamped out of sheet material appropriately printed with score values, means to secure the back wall in position, and a support projecting rearwardly from the back wall of the game device for bearing against said table and supporting the game device in a nearly upright but rearwardly sloping position, the contact between said support and table being so limited as not to interfere with rocking of the game device, said support being pivotally mounted so that it may be folded flat against the back wall of the game device when not in use, said support comprising a piece of heavy rigid wire th upper end of which is pivotally received in a bearing formed at the'top of the game device, the lower end of which is pivotally received in an aligned bearing formed at'the bottom of the game device, and the intermediate part of which is bent to form a generally horizontal and a generally upright side, and detent means formed at a bearingfor holding the wire support in rearward or operative position when turned out to that position.

4. A rockable ball-control game device comprising a single generally upright body of molded transparent plastic comprising a front wall and edge walls, a series of collateral shelf-like guide walls terminating at both ends short of the edge walls for passage of a ball, the ends of some of said walls being offset relative to the ends .of others to permit rolling of a ball from an upper shelf to a lower shelf, said shelves being formed integrally with the front end edge walls and projecting rearwardly therefrom, a back wall stamped out of sheet material appropriately printed with score values, means I to secure the back wall in position, and a support pro jecting rearwardly from the back wall of the game device for bearing against said table and supporting the game device in a nearly upright but rearwardly sloping position, the contact between said support and table being so limited as not to interfere with rocking of the game device, said support being pivotally mounted so that it may be folded flat against the back wall of the game device when not in use, said support comprising a piece of heavy rigid wire the upper end of which is pivotally received in a bearing formed at the top of the game device, the lower end of which is pivotally received in an aligned bearing formed at the bottom of the game device,

and the intermediate part of which is bent to form a generally horizontal and a generally upright side, and detent means formed at a bearing for holding the wire support in rearward or operative position when turned out to that position, the detent means including a notch or recess on the upper face of the lower bearing, said notch or recess extending rearwardly and transversely to the V 1 axis of the bearing hole.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 197,127 Hasbrouck Nov. 13, 328,738 Wiederer Oct. 20, 1885 917,254 Cook Apr. 6, 1909 1,757,957 Fleisher May 13, 1930 2,550,926 Herz May 1, 1951 2,634,129 Lohr Apr. 7, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,418 Great Britain 1914 365,064 Germany Dec. 7, 1922 501,989 Germany July 8, 1930 410,661 Great Britain May 24, 1934 421,633 Great Britain 1. Dec. 27, 1934 

